Master plan unveiled for Wagner Farm property in Warren Township

WARREN TWP. — With the expert help of local landscape architect, Don Farnell, the Wagner Farm Arboretum Foundation has established a long-term vision for the old farm property located on Mountain Boulevard.

Referred to as a “master plan,” that vision was outlined and publicly presented to Warren’s governing body at a recent Township Committee meeting.

“The basis for the master plan is really to continue the agrarian history and culture of Wagner Farm,” said Farnell.

According to him, what had initially started as discussions to create a native garden on the grounds, quickly “morphed” into the more comprehensive, all-encompassing vision, which is intended to be implemented over the course of “many, many years.”

Central to the plan, on an activity level, will be the continuation of the horticultural programs that are already taking place on the site. On a physical level, any new construction features will be built around the Wagner Farm’s three main visual elements – the two grain silos that exist on the grounds and the “magnificent Shagbark Hickory tree” that has stood for decades, adjacent to what is currently the Children’s Gardens.

Since the old, existing main barns will be taken down at some point in the near future because of irreparable damage, Farnell proposed that they be replaced by a multi-purpose structure, somewhere near their present location.

“It (the new structure) is intended to anchor the site with the silos in the same manner that the old barn buildings did,” he elaborated.

The native garden concept, which kicked off the entire discussion process, will theoretically come to fruition by “surrounding and embracing the building.” The plants and flowers would have tags on them, “like a synoptic garden”, to address the educational aspect of the Arboretum.

Other new elements to be eventually added to the property would include a green house; an outdoor event space featuring a trellis structure with ivy and a pavilion, where all kinds of activities can take place, like movie nights or even public weddings; new walkways throughout the gardens, including a “Birch walk” with a double row of trees; actual cows grazing in the front of the property; and re-structured parking areas with a total capacity of roughly 190 spaces.

“The premise is that all of the various functions are tied together,” Farnell emphasized. “So the idea is that wherever you are on the site, you have the Hickory as your landmark and you can always understand where you are.”

Farnell added that the site will be completed by being built-out in phases. The first phase, he stressed, should be the construction of the multi-purpose facility.

“You need an anchor. You need a place to get started – for people to orient themselves, and begin to have programs there,” he concluded.

At this point, the Arboretum Foundation will be responsible for raising the funds for the green house and the native garden. With the $336,000 in insurance money the township will be receiving as a result of the barns’ deterioration, Warren will assume responsibility for demolition efforts and for the erection of the new structure itself.

“This is a non-profit private partnership with the Township,” said Deputy Mayor Carolann Garafola.

The Township Committee is still discussing the variety of funding and construction options involved with the new building, including the hiring of an architect. Monies in the Township’s Open Space Trust Fund could potentially be used as a source, according to Garafola.